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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · cue · cell · game · pitch · land · firm · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. firm — steady
  5. swing — music
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. land — ground
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cue — for pool
  15. game — wild animals
  16. firm — a company
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. land — to come down
  20. game — a match
  21. firm — decided
  22. land — a country
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com